What it will cost to run Snohomish County in 2013

Snohomish County has budgeted $213.6 million in general fund spending for 2013. That's the part of the budget over which the county has the most discretion. As has been the case for years, more than 72 percent of the money will pay for law and order and public safety.

Another $575 million in spending is planned for special programs. Those parts of the budget are handled separately because they are paid for through grants, fees and other revenue sources that the county is legally obligated to spend in a specific way. For example, more than 360 jobs in the county's Public Works Roads Division and more than 160 in its Human Services Department are tied to dedicated revenues.

The 2013 budget caps the number of county government jobs at just under 2,700 and specifies how many are allowed in each department.

Next year's budget includes the first increase in the general property tax levy in a decade.

The County Council passed the budget on Nov. 19. County Executive Aaron Reardon on Nov. 30 returned it to the council with his stamp of approval. Reardon didn't sign portions of the budget that raised property taxes, nor did he veto those increases.

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